Reading the Signs

Meet the makers behind some of the city’s most iconic landmarks

By Lauren Velez

Published: June 1, 2015

Photo by JD Swiger

Drive around the city and there’s a good chance you’ll feel the presence of Ion Art no matter where you go. Owned by Sharon and Greg Keshishian, the mom-and-pop shop is responsible for designing, constructing and displaying custom signs for every business from Uncle Julio’s to Kendra Scott.

Sharon, an artist and neon glass blower, started the venture in 1986, with Greg coming on board shortly after. They both had technical skills, but no real business experience. In fact, instead of being paid his first year, Greg accepted a deal of owning one-third of the company, which was $50,000 in debt at the time. (The couple would later marry in 1993.)

After they struggled for a few years, a break came thanks to Whole Foods Market, whose original sign the Keshishians created. With that store’s nationwide expansion, business for Ion Art escalated. “Our greatest strength is that we have the ability to build complex items made from different mediums all under one roof,” Greg explains. “We can design, engineer and install these items that would normally require the efforts of several companies.”

Ion Art now looms over the city with countless signs and architectural attractions, including the massive, 16-foot guitar at the entrance to the Austin City Limits Music Festival, which has become the background for many fest photos. With each project usually taking between two to three months to construct, the team has grown to include 45 staffers, all working in the design and fabrication studio on Radam Lane.

For the Keshishians, they prefer keeping a low profile when it comes to taking credit. “Sometimes, we’re at ACL and we see people stopping to get their picture with the guitar,” Greg says. “We’re standing there, anonymously, and that’s cool.” Adds Sharon: “We make fun that that’s our style of graffiti. We’re marking all of these buildings all over town. We get to go from drawing it on a napkin to driving by it every day.”

Claims of Fame

Some notable signs in Ion Art’s history

Austin City Limits Guitar
The 16-foot-tall sign that greets concertgoers at the entrance of ACL Fest was installed in 2007.

Uncle Julio’s
Located at Second and Brazos streets, the sign cost roughly $100,000. “We had never had a restaurant spend so much on a sign,” says Greg Keshishian.

State Theatre
Ion Art restored the State Theatre’s grand sign on Congress Avenue a few years ago.

Playboy Bunny
Originally installed in Marfa, the neon Playboy bunny moved to the Dallas Contemporary. It landed on the magazine’s cover, the first without a woman.